Prime Minister John Key has apologised for a joking reference he made to convicted murderer Phillip John Smith fleeing the country.
Smith flew to Chile using a passport obtained in his birth name while on temporary release from prison on Thursday.
Chilean authorities have confirmed that Smith then took a flight to Brazil.
In Beijing for the Apec summit, Mr Key laughed on Monday as he told reporters he would alert Chilean President Michelle Bachelet about Smith when they met.
"I'll just let her know there's someone who could be out there from New Zealand that you may not want to invite round for lunch," he said.